Gone
by toolazytofindaname
Summary: Sasuke is back in Konoha and in a relationship with Sakura. Sakura is having a great time, but Sasuke starts feeling neglected. How will they get through this without anyone getting hurt? One-shot. SasuSaku. Rated M just in case.


"Sasuke! Stop being so damn depressed! It's making me depressed! Why are you even depressed?"

"You left me again."

"What?! That's it?! That's why you won't even go get me that damn ice cream?! I'll just go ask Ino then!"

"Fine! Just leave me again!"

"Sasuke! I have a life too you know! I can't spend all my time with you!"

"No, but you could at least spend _some_ time with me!"

"I'm a shinobi, Sasuke – I have missions! So if you want a girl who's gonna stay at home, so you can fuck her whenever you want, then you better go find someone else!"

"But that's it, exactly! That seems to be the point you just don't get! I don't want some other girl! I have a girlfriend, Sakura, and I love her so much! But she's always gone, and when she's finally here she expects me to cater to her every damn whim. And I wouldn't mind, if just one of those whims had been to spend some time with me. I'm not asking for sex, Sakura; I'm asking for you! Because I fucking love you! And all I'm asking for is for you to love me back, just a little. But apparently, that's just too much to ask… I know I can't really complain, after all the times I've let you down, but at least I wasn't so cruel to give you the hope that this might actually work out. – Because it clearly won't."

And he walked away – just like that. And Sakura could do nothing but look after him, frozen to/on the spot. Slowly, she sunk to the ground, her hands lifted to her mouth in some sort of mix between shock, distress and despair. He… He left her…?!

-X.X.X-

"-and then he just left! Can you imagine! I have a life too! I can't just- Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Go apologize to him. Right now. And pray to God that he'll forgive you."

"What?!" Sakura almost shrieked, baffled by the venomous tone to her friends voice. "Why?! Why are you taking his side?! You're supposed to support me; not him!"

"Why?"

"Because you're my friend! And because he's the one who did wrong! He left me, Ino!"

"When he was just a kid, he lost everybody who'd ever cared for him – everybody he'd ever cared for. To his own brother, no less! He grows up alone. He trains alone, he eats alone, he sleeps alone – and no one bothers to be there for him. No one is there to help him through; to tell him that he'll be alright."

"Oh, seriously, Ino!" Sakura interrupted "That doesn't mean he has the right to just leave me like that!"

"Then he became a genin," Ino continued as though Sakura hadn't said anything. "and he finally had someone to spend time with; someone who cared for him as he cared for them. But for some reason he has to leave. He stays for years with that snake, just trying to get stronger so he can avenge his family. Finally, he's strong enough to kill his brother, and what happens then? He finds out that he's killed an innocent man, and that Konoha's elders are the ones responsible. Yes, he betrayed his city, but his city betrayed him first. Anyway, he trains again and goes for the elders, who none of us really like anyway, and kills Danzo, who was a traitor as well. But in the war, when everything seemed to be over – when we needed a miracle – he was there and he risked his life – almost gave his life! For Konoha. And then he returned, even though he knew the price for betrayal. He went through trial and he went to jail – just to wait for his execution. Just before, though, he asked for one last wish, and they led him for our Hokage, and he begged. I swear he was down on his knees; his head on the ground and he _begged_ Naruto to let him see you just one more time. He _cried_, Sakura; for you! Only for you! And you treat him like trash! It's no wonder he's given up by now."

"But- I- That's-"

"When was the last time you kissed him?" Ino cut her off, and Sakura just looked dumbfounded at her, as she tried to remember. "When was the last time you hugged him?" This time, Sakura lowered her head and adverted her gaze to her feet. "When was the last time you did anything for him?" Again, Sakura remained silent. "Do you even love him anymore? Because if you don't-"

"But I do, Ino!" Sakura suddenly exclaimed. "I love him! So, so much! I just… I- I don't know what to do…"

"Go find him. Apologize to him."

"But… What should I say to him?"

"You can figure that out on your way, but 'sorry' would probably be a good idea. Now hurry up, before he does something stupid."

"Wha- Ino!" But Ino had already shoved her out of the shop and slammed the door behind her. Slowly, Sakura started on her way back to their apartment. Well, actually it was his apartment, but they'd both stayed there for a while now. She hadn't even asked him if she could move in; she just did. Her mind then drifted back to Ino's last words. '_Before he does something stupid.'_ What did she mean by that?

Sakura was so lost in thoughts that she only noticed where she were, when she had grabbed the handle on their front door. Slowly she moved her hand and knocked on the door. When the door remained shut, she knocked again. After a couple of minutes, there were still no sign of Sasuke and she hesitantly tried to open the door, only to find it locked. Then she took out her keys and let herself in.

"Sasuke? Are you home?" Sakura called once she was in. "Sasuke? Listen, I'm sorry, okay? I really am! Please! Where are you?" She became more and more distressed, the longer she looked for him. He wasn't there. She'd looked in every room at least once and he just wasn't there. _Where could he be?_ When her head came up with a couple of possible answers to that, she ran out of the apartment and down the street, towards where Naruto lived. When she reached his house she only knocked twice before rushing in.

"Woah! Sakura! What are you doing here?"

"Where's Sasuke?"

"How should I know?"

"So he's not here?"

"Uhm, no?"

"Do you know where he is?"

"No. Why?" But Sakura was already out the door again, running towards where Suigetsu and Karin lived. Once again she burst through the door.

"Hey, Pinky. What are you doing here?"

"Have you seen Sasuke?"

"No. Wasn't he with you?"

"He was, but I said- doesn't matter. Where is he?"

"I don't know." And she ran. When she spotted the bar Naruto and the others dragged Sasuke to once in a while, she ran there. No sign of him. He'd been there yesterday, they said. But not today. And she ran again. _Where could he be? Where could he be?!_ Her legs were tiring, but she didn't care. She continued to run, asking everybody if they'd seen him. No one had. _Dammit, Sasuke! Where are you?!_

Being at a loss for what else she could do, she ran around the city, trying to sense his chakra. _Of course! I'll ask Karin if she can sense him!_ With that idea in mind, she ran back to Karin and Suigetsu.

"KARIN!" She yelled as she slammed open the door, not caring to knock. "Where's Sasuke?!"

"I don't know! He hasn't been here all day!"

"But can't you sense him?!"

"I- I'll try." Karin said as she made a hand sign and closed her eyes to focus. After a moment she opened her eyes again and shook her head. "I'm sorry – I can't sense him. Maybe he's outside the village, on a mission or something?"

"Of course! I'll go ask Tsunade! Thanks, Karin!" And she ran off again, this time towards the hokage-tower. After Naruto became Hokage, he asked Tsunade to help out with the missions, just until he got the hang of it. And today was Naruto's day off which meant Tsunade would be in charge.

* * *

"Tsunade!"

"Sakura! What are you doing here?"

"I've looked everywhere, I've asked everyone, and no one has seen him since yesterday - I checked all our friends' houses, our own apartment, all bars, all places he could be, but he's not there, and Karin says she can't sense him, and neither can I but, maybe you sent him on a mission, and if you did, where is he? I really need to talk with him!" If the situation hadn't been so dire, Sakura would have been amazed at herself. She didn't know she could yell so much so fast – and on only one intake of breath.

Tsunade just looked at her for a while before asking: "What?" Sakura frowned at this.

"Sasuke! – Where is Sasuke?!"

"I don't know – I thought he was with you."

"Urgh! He was! But we fought and I said some stupid things, and he walked away, and I ran to Ino who told me to apologize to him, so I went to look for him, but he's just gone! No one has seen him since yesterday!" Sakura exclaimed, before sinking down in a chair. "God, what am I going to do? What if something has happened to him? What if he's hurt? What if-" She cut herself off when the words Ino had said earlier came back to her mind. '_Before he does something stupid'._ _No. She couldn't mean-… Seriously? No he wouldn't do such a thing! Would he? What if… what if…_ "What if he's going to kill himself? What if he's already done it?!" Sakura stood up again, tears making their way to her eyes. "That would explain why Karin couldn't sense him! Maybe he's drowned himself! Maybe-" She stopped when the feeling of dread became too much and she broke down, her legs giving in under her and the tears streaming down her face. Slowly, Tsunade kneeled down beside her and put her arm around the girls shaking form.

"Shh, Sakura. Don't cry. Sasuke's strong. He wouldn't do something like that."

"B- But Karin said-"

"Yes, but maybe he's just out of her range? Or maybe he's masked his chakra? You said you had a fight, maybe he doesn't want you to find him just yet?"

"But- But- He could be dead!"

"I don't think so."

"How- How can you be so sure?"

"Try feel. Inside. Does it feel like he's gone? Or is he still in your heart?"

"He'll always be in my heart – dead or not."

"Well, then, can you feel him? You know, I knew when Dan died. And my brother. I felt it. In here." Tsunade said as she pointed at her chest, where her heart was.

"… He's still here…" She said softly, her crying decreasing a bit.

"I told you. – Sasuke wouldn't go kill himself. He's too smart to do that. Now go find him. I'm sure he needs you just as much as you need him."

"But- But where? – I've looked everywhere already."

"Where did you guys first meet?"

"At the academy."

"Where did you first talk with each other?"

"At the bridge where team 7 used to meet."

"Where did you first kiss?"

"At his place."

"Is there anywhere outside the city, that is somehow connected to your relationship?" Sakura furrowed her brows as she thought for a while before her eyes suddenly widened.

**Flashback**

Why had she said that again? Sure, his claims were absolutely unacceptable, but insulting his family? _I must be crazy!_ She thought. She knew how much his family meant to him. And she knew that they did not deserve the insult at all. Sakura sighed for the 20th time during… however long she'd been sitting there, under the biggest of the Sakura-trees. Lots of smaller cherry-trees were surrounding her. She always seemed to be at peace there. She wasn't now though, but that was to be expected since she'd just had a big fight with her boyfriend. The worst wasn't even the fight – they'd had some fierce arguments before. But this time was different. It had started out like it used to – they would yell a bit at each other, she would stomp on the ground and he would slam his fist on the wall or the table. But eventually they would settle on some sort of compromise, and everything would be fine again. But not this time – not after what she said. But really what had she been thinking? Insulting a clan like the Uchihas – and right in front of the last survivor no less! Unwillingly, her mind replayed how the argument had ended. As soon as the words had left her mouth, she'd regretted them. At that time it hadn't been because of what she said, but because of Sasuke's reaction. It was instantaneous. His eyes, which had been burning with the fierce heat of the fight, suddenly turned hard and cold and _hurt_. When he talked his voice had made shivers run down her spine. "Maybe," he said "You should have thought of that before you chose an Uchiha as your boyfriend." The menacing aura that had pulsated around him had scared Sakura. For the first time since he came back, she had been genuinely scared of him. She had feared for her life. Then her instincts for survival had kicked in and she ran. She ran until she had collapsed where she was currently sitting. But he was right, wasn't he? If she had really hated the Uchihas so much, then she wouldn't have become Sasuke's girlfriend. And even though there some frightening stories about what lengths Uchihas had gone to in order to reach their goals, it didn't mean that all Uchihas would be like that. And sure, Sasuke _had_ been like that, but she'd seen how he'd changed, and she knew that her accusations were probably just as unforgivable as his had been. Ugh. "If he'd just- why did he have to- Ugh!" Sakura said as she stood up and stomped the ground in frustration.  
"I'm sorry." Sakura froze. Was she… was she really going crazy now? Hearing voices and everything? Slowly, hesitantly she turned around to where the voice had come from. And there he was.

"Sasuke?" He pushed off the tree he'd been leaning on and started to walk towards her. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Hn. Long enough."

"But how did you-"

"Listen, Sakura," He was right in front of her now. And she could see the hurt in his eyes that she had seen when she had said those things. But it wasn't as prominent as the determination and sincere regret she could also see in those beautiful orbs. "I'm really sorry about what I said. I didn't actually mean it. I- it just- came out. I don't know I- Please, just… just understand that I'm sorry. That I would never actually do something like that. And I know you wouldn't either. I… Please, just-" He was cut off when Sakura suddenly leaned forward and kissed him, her lips only touching his lightly. Sasuke was stunned for a while, before he too leaned in and deepened the kiss. Slowly, his arms wound around her waist to pull her closer, while her hands found their way around his shoulder and to the back of his head where it ran through his hair. Sakura didn't even notice they were moving before she felt her back hit the tree gently. Then Sasuke tilted his head to deepen the kiss even further, his tongue licking her lower lip, silently asking for entrance. – Which she, of course, granted him immediately. It didn't take long before the once innocent kiss escalated to something more and soon Sakura was on the ground with Sasuke leaning over her, licking, sucking, kissing and nibbling at her shoulder and neck. It was only then, as she gazed up at the stars hidden behind a canopy of pink cherry-blossoms that Sakura noticed how late it was. Then she felt Sasuke's hand slowly glide up her inner tight, and all chances of making any coherent thoughts flew out the window as she moaned lightly into his ear. Sasuke, encouraged by the sound, leaned in closer and nibbled her ear, while his hand – the one that wasn't massaging her tight – slowly slid under her shirt and began to stroke up and down her back.

Suddenly, Sakura became aware of the fact that Sasuke's hips were moving against hers slowly and in movements so subtle that they were barely noticeable. "God Sasuke" she groaned out as a slightly harder thrust made her feel his hard-on against her most sensitive spot. "Fuck. That feels good" Sasuke's hand had moved to her breast, and it was only then it occurred Sakura that he had successfully managed to take of her shirt and skirt without her noticing. The hand that had been massaging her tight earlier was now playing with the hem of her shorts, clearly wanting them gone.

Sasuke's hips were moving faster now and Sakura could feel that he was straining to hold himself back. She didn't want him too. She had always strongly believed in sex after marriage; but that she found her resolve slowly dissolving ever since Sasuke first kissed her – and with every kiss they'd shared since. Sakura was brought back to the present when she felt Sasuke's hands slowly removing her shorts, and she gasped when she felt his cool hands groping her ass. She was starting really like her choice of underwear that day Ino had pestered her about her underwear being 'grandma-ish' and had told her to wear something else, just to try it out. - Which was why she was right now wearing nothing but a lacy, red bra and a matching g-string. And Sasuke seemed to like the sight, as he knelt over her, just looking at her with hungry eyes. Then he leaned and kissed her passionately while his hands moved behind her back to unclasp her bra.

Sakura's arms suddenly, instinctively moved to cover her naked chest, and Sasuke was brought out of the trance, the feeling of her body against his, had put him in. What if she didn't want this? The thought made him pull back and move his hands away from her. She hadn't told him to stop, but she hadn't exactly told him to go on either. His train of thought was broken when Sakura's soft voice got to him. "Sasuke?" he looked back at her. "Why did you stop?"

"Do you want me to go on?"

"Yes! I mean… Only if you want to, but…" She trailed off, and the wheels in Sasuke's head spun to try figure out what she was trying to say.

"Should we go back?"

"What? No, I- I want-" She blushed.

"Somewhere more private?" Sasuke smirked.

"No one comes here at this time of the night. We'll be fine…" She trailed off again as Sasuke's hands were back on her body; bringing back the tingling feeling she had before. Slowly, she started to pull his shirt off of him, then moving her hands to feel his well-trained body. Sasuke moved down, and her hands went to his hair, as he started sucking on her chest, making her moan in pleasure. When he felt he had paid enough attention to her right breast (for now, at least) he moved on to the left, and Sakura held back a gasp as he bit down on the nipple. She couldn't hold back though, when she suddenly felt Sasuke's hand pulling on her g-string, making the cloth go in between her folds. She looked down and saw Sasuke looking up at her mischievously before he moved further down. Slowly, he removed her panties.

**End of Flashback**

"Oh God! You're right! I know where he is!"

"Brilliant! Wher-" but the girl was already out the door, slamming in shut behind her before running towards the city gates, shouting apologies over her shoulder whenever she ran into someone or something. Soon, she was on her way towards the cherry-field just a 20 minute walk outside the village. She made it there in just seven. Those seven minutes were enough, though, for her to start worrying once again. What if her heart was wrong and he had left this world? What if he was hurt? What if he wasn't there? Where else could he be? What if- She cut her thoughts off when she entered the field of Sakura trees. Slowly now, nervous of what she'd find, she neared the larger one; the one she always sat beneath when she needed to clear her mind.

* * *

Nothing. No one. So she'd been wrong after all. She was tempted to just lie down and die right there. Where was he? She wasn't all too surprised when she felt tears run down her cheeks. Actually, she was surprised they hadn't done so until then. But before, there had been hope. – Now there wasn't. Because where else could he be? She'd looked all over. The only option that was left was that he'd completely left Konoha. And if that was the case, she was sure he had done so for good. He wasn't coming back this time. Because what did he have to come back to? He had told her that it was mostly because of Naruto and her that he came back the first time, and with Naruto being Hokage, no one but Hinata saw much of him. And why would he come back to her, after what she'd said and done? – The answer was obvious. He wouldn't.

"I start to understand why you always come here." Sakura was just about to drop to the ground and cry until someone found her, or she died from the cold or from hunger – whatever came first – when a voice interrupted her thoughts. "It really is calming." Where did it come from? She wiped at her tears to see more clearly and then looked around. Still there was no one in sight. She sobbed. She was hearing voices – it was the only possible explanation. She was going crazy. "I can see my house from up here." _Up_ here? She wiped her tears again and looked up. And there he was; sitting leisurely on one of the thick branches above her, looking off into the distance – at his house presumably.

"S- Sasuke?" She managed, as she tried to hold back her sobs. She couldn't quite believe he was there.

Sasuke looked down at her and noted that her distress was worse than he'd initially thought. He sighted before standing up, then jumping down in front of her.

"Please, don't cry." He said as he reached out to wipe away her tears. He didn't get to that though, as Sakura suddenly hurdled herself forward, wrapping her arms around his torso and cried into his chest.

"Sasuke, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed between the sobs. "I'm so sorry! I promise I'll spend more time with you! I'll go ask Tsunade and Naruto to give me a pause from all the missions, and then I'll go buy you a basket of tomatoes, and I'll make you some origini, and I'll-mph!" She was cut off when Sasuke suddenly kissed her. Hard. "S-Sasuke?" she stammered when he finally pulled back.

"Just be with me once in a while when you're home, okay? – That's all I ask."

"I love you, Sasuke." He just smirked at that and kissed her again, this time more gentle. "And I promise I'll spend more time with you from now on." She said when she pulled back. Sakura caught her breath when he smiled at her. Not just his usual smirk, but a real, genuine, grateful _smile_. He then leaned in, kissed her cheek and whispered a 'thank you' in her ear, before holding her closer, his arms wound tightly around her waist as he breathed in her scent. She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she thought she heard him whispering 'I love you' too; almost quiet enough for her to miss it. But it didn't matter, she told herself, if he had really said it – she knew he did.

* * *

A/N:

Hey everybody! A new story! Wohoo! I know I still have some other stories I haven't finished, but I guess I've just lost interest in them... I'm working on them whenever I have the inspiration, but... that rarely happens... I'm sorry. But it seems I've finally gotten over most of my writers block though - this story being prof of that. I have the story line and a few scenes done for another story too, but it's a multi-chapter-story, so it will probably take some time before I will uploade any of it.

Anyway, the lines in this story (except the last one) indicates where I was originally going to... part the story. There was going to be three chapters, but I figured the last part would be too small, so... here it is :) I hope you enjoyed it - and please leave a review, it really makes me happy, okay? Thank you, to those who does :)


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